Rhodes home town changes museum’s name

A museum and art centre in the house where 19th century British colonialist Cecil Rhodes was born is changing its name after protests from anti-racism campaigners.

The Rhodes Art Complex will become South Mill Arts on August 24, following calls to stop glorifying an imperialist who annexed swathes of southern

Africa as part of the British empire and paved the way for racial segregation in SA.

The Rhodes Birthplace Trust said it is changing its name to Bishop’s Stortford Museum and Arts Charitable Incorporated Organisation.

A wave of anti-racism protests sweeping across the US and Europe has reignited a debate about statues and buildings glorifying Britain’s imperialist past.

Oxford University’s Oriel College said in June that it wanted to remove its Rhodes statue after renewed protests by #RhodesMustFall campaigners, inspired by South Africans who pushed Cape Town University to remove its Rhodes statue.

The trust’s chairperson, Deirdre Glasgow, said in a statement that it would not “participate in any attempt to eradicate Cecil Rhodes from our history”.

Instead they would provide visitors with evidence and facts to discover the truth for themselves, she said. —